Hello
by tiffo the chicken flea
Summary: Inspired by Adele's "Hello". (Re)Making connections that had long since been lost. Hello, from the otherside.


"Hello."

He shifted the phone in his hand slightly as he rolled his shoulders.

"It's Oli—Naru. It's Naru. How have you been?" The name sounded clumsy on his lips. He grimaced and leaned against the full length window in front of him.

"Mai?" His voice was quieter, the confidence clearly draining away. "Can you hear me?"

"—"

"Good." He smiled, taking advantage of the privacy that the phone line provided.

"—"

"Yes, I know it's been seven years." He rested his head against the glass. Closing his eyes against the bright light streaming in. His free hand clenched and rested on the glass near his head.

 _You can do this._

"—"

"Lin gave me your number a few years ago."

 _You missed her voice didn't you? You can admit it. We're the only ones here._

"—"

"I did.. uh yes" He stumbled straightening back up and looking round the room in embarrassment. "I have called a few times."

 _A few times. More than twice and it might as well as been a thousand. Tone down the desperation Noll. Remember why you called._

"—"

"Me? Well I'm on the lecture circuit right now. I'm the Keynote at a conference in LA." The bright light of the sun reflecting off the highly polished mahogany floors seemed to draw his attention away from the window. He began his pacing again. Pacing that had occupied him for the 20 minuets leading up to this phone call.

 _Don't psych yourself out!_

The pacing intensified.

 _Calm down. It's just a phone call. You are going to make yourself sick._

"—"

"Yes well it's for my new book primarily. I have been lecturing at Trinity for a while, but since I recently published I have been doing the circuit as it were."

 _Alright Narcissist reign in it. You are going to lose her. Do you want to lose her, again?_

"It's tedious really. What about you, are you still in Tokyo?"

 _Smooth transition. Idiot Scientist._

"—"

His smile grew, his shoulders loosened, and he turned to rest his back on the glass of the window behind him. Sliding down the glass he brought his free hand to the phone and dipped his head to cradle the phone closer. His body and face continued to relax as she spoke. It was most likely the most relaxed he had been in over a decade.

 _You got it so bad. Don't mess it up this time. If you can get a 'this time'. Ask her already._

"Yes." He sighed, but not in exasperation.

"—"

"I don't really have the time or patience to pick an outfit. If they are all black they all match. It's really a simple explanation Mai." Her name broke the smile into a grin, one that didn't fall from his face as the word ended. Switching ears, he ran his now free hand through his hair. Preening for a blind audience.

A slight knock pulled his head up.

 _Are you kidding me? Not now!_

The following call of "Professor?" Brought him to his feet and erased the ease that had formed on his face.

"Sorry Mai hold on for just a second." In two quick strides he was by the couch in the center of the room ready to intercept.

"—"

"No Mai, despite what you think you recall I am quite capable of civility. Hold on."

A young woman came into the room. The quick clacking of her heals foreshadowing the urgency on her face.

"Professor." She called out again.

Oliver made a show of turning his head to display the phone he was speaking into.

 _He is busy. Go away. You are ruining everything!_

Clearly conflicted about interrupting him she wrung her hands together in front of her skirt and looked around the spacious room.

"Yes Michelle. You obviously have something to say, so say it. I am busy." His voice had lost the softer edge that crept into it in the past few minutes.

"You are supposed to give your address in fifteen minutes. You, ah, told me to come get you." Her voice lowered with each word until she nearly whispered the end.

His newly reformed glower deepened.

 _You are running out of time._

"Wait outside, I will finish up this call and be right out." The hollow sound of his command lingered as the downcast clicks faded and then were sealed away once again.

"Mai."

"—"

His smile returned at her voice, but then faltered once more.

"No, of course not. That was one of my graduate students. I don't have—what about you? Do you have —"

 _Real subtle there. You can't even say the word boyfriend. You really are hopeless._

He gripped the back of the couch bracing himself from the answer he clearly feared to receive.

"Oh well that's goo— That, I mean it is not good, but it is good that you have committed yourself so much to your career. Very focused of you, I'm impressed."

 _Ladies and Gentlemen the 'great' Oliver Davis. Don't complement her focus, idiot. Tell her you miss her. Tell her you want to see her. Tell her you are glad she is lonely and alone just like you. Tell her something real._

Oliver took a deep breath and tightened the grip on the couch. "I am going to be in Tokyo next week. Would you like to meet?" He rushed it out, the words uncharacteristically spilling over one another.

Once it was out he froze.

His arms, his legs, even his eyes were still as time waited for the answer on the other side.

"—"

His lips curled downward, displeased though seemingly unsurprised at the result.

 _Ok. You did it. Technically. But it needs more Noll. You broke her heart. You left her all this time. What does she have to gain? More heartbreak? Don't ask her if_ _she would like to meet._ Tell _her you_ want _to see her. Tell her you think about her all the time. And what a fool you were to push her away like that. Try! You can do this!_

"I," he paused rocking slightly, mouth opening and closing impotently.

 _Don't you give this up! Don't quit on this! Idiot!_

"I want to see you." What little color remained in his features drained quickly. "I, I miss you Mai. I would like to take you to dinner when I am in Tokyo." He had faltered in the beginning, but his voice gained back its strength. It was done.

An eternity lasted in that pause. Oliver waited, once again rooted to his place. The room had become a vacuum, devoid of sound. Ears strained to the max and breaths refused to come.

Oliver held the phone at an arm's length. Seeming to struggle between his wants and his fears.

Suddenly, softly, her voice ghosted through the nothingness.

"I'd like that."

He put a hand to his own lips to muffle the evidence of shock that tried so hard to escape him.

 _You did it. You magnificent son of a bitch you. You are brilliant._

"Brilliant." The color was back in his skin, in fact he was practically glowing. "I will call you after my speech and we can work on the details. Yes?"

"—"

His face split in a lopsided grin.

"I will speak with you soon, Mai."

"—"

"Yes, good bye to you Mai."

He let the phone drop from his hand and onto the couch below him.

With a sigh of contentment he allowed his form to collapse over the back and slide along the length of the leather and onto the cushions. Throwing his arm over his eyes he laughed and didn't try to stop it.

 _How long has it been since you laughed? Like this, maybe you never have. This is it. You've got another chance. Don't screw it up this time._

"Professor?" Michelle's nervous voice once again proceeded her person into the room.

Oliver rose and straightened his jacket.

"Yes, Michelle. Let's go."

Michelle stared at him with open confusion. Or more accurately at the grin which seemed to have made a permanent home on her typically dour professor's face.

Oliver stopped in front of the mirror to give himself one last look over and fix some errant locks before nodding to the younger girl and taking his leave of the room.

The sound of the door shutting echoed briefly, before the room once again fell silent.

Gene stared at the space in which he had just witnessed a miracle happened.

 _I knew you had it in you, you idiot scientist._

Sometimes he hated waking up. When he woke up he was forced to sit and watch as his brother suffered alone. Unable to reach him and yet always in view. He tried and tried to get Noll's attention, but their connection had only grown dimmer as time had passed.

But today! Today he was glad he had woken up. Today he wanted to keep. Memory didn't seem to work the same here as it had before he died. So he wanted to stay awake as long as he could. Burn it in.

Gene rested his hand and forehead against the space that prevented him from stepping out to the other side of the mirror he looked through.

This time as he felt the tiredness growing he realized that it didn't bring the fear with it. The fear of what would happen to Noll if this time Gene didn't wake back up to watch over his lost brother. If he wasn't there to cheer him on from the sidelines. Even if Noll could never hear him.

A creak and quick but heavy footsteps reverberated in the empty room. Noll appeared from the archway and headed straight to the couch. A few seconds of rummaging around revealed the recovery of Noll's forgotten phone.

Oliver spun on his heels and out of habit glanced in the mirror before heading back out.

What he saw broke his stride and caused him to jerk awkwardly in an attempt not to fall.

Oliver swallowed audibly. "Gene?" Oliver whispered as if saying his name would break whatever spell they were currently under.

Gene smiled.

"Hello."

* * *

Well there you have it. My attempt at a one-shot. I ride the struggle bus with these. But that is why I wanted to try to do one.

UPDATE: Edited to better express Gene's voice through out the story.

Thanks for reading!

-Tiffo


End file.
